Reality Television, User-Generated Content and Quality Assurance

Abstract

The proliferation of new media with its on-demand access to content anytime, anywhere, and on any digital devise, facilitates quick and easy access to information, but also poses new threats to any consuming society in its real-time generation of new and unregulated content. Hence, while this may allow for greater diversification of the creative experience, the question of quality assurance looms large and begs for attention, especially amongstthe theatre artists. This paper, through an examination of the prevailing trends in the practice of this genre of television programming world-wide, underlines a dire need for the Nigerian theatre artist to give attention to the possibilities and potential of the new media. It also highlights the issues of morality and ethics that bedevil the Reality TV genre as it is known today and investigates possibilities of quality control and assurance. The conclusion is that there is a need for the theatre practitioner to align with appropriate authorities to make relevant inputs for regulation, promotion and sustenance of quality assurance.